I came across an interesting post today about gaming in libraries. Indeed, it seems to be a divisive issue: some feel that computer games take away attention from reading, while others feel that they can be an important way to get teens in the door. This article in particular caught my attention because it provides stats from a number of different sources and suggests that gaming programs really do promote reading (from The Shifted Librarian):

there is indeed evidence that kids who come to the library for gaming also use the book collection more.

• See the April 2007 issue of the ILA Reporter in which Amy Alessio from the Schaumburg Township District Library notes circulation of the teen collection has gone up 70% due to an increase in teen-oriented activities, which includes gaming (p.31)
• At ALA’s 2008 Midwinter Meeting, Julie Scordato from the Columbus Metropolitan Library gave a presentation with some evidence, starting on slide 6.
• Read Carver’s Bay: Gaming the Way to Literacy on the WebJunction site
• I wrote the new issue of Library Technology Reports about Gaming in Libraries, and I specifically included a case study about a middle school in Virginia that has tied gaming to the statewide reading club, which doubled the number of participants in the first year.